Sexual Assault Support Services available locally

 

Dating is tough.Being set up by friends is tough. But the toughest test of finding true love has got to be the dreaded blind date.

At least that’s the premise of Check, Please! by Jonathan Rand, an hilarious look at the perils and pitfalls of modern dating being presented on Friday, May 11, 6 p.m., at Seaway District High School in Iroquois. 

Under the direction of teachers Emma Mayer and Kim Lalonde, 21 senior drama students will perform the timely and funny production as part of the 7th annual dinner theatre night at the high school. 

“The actors have been working extremely hard,” said Lalonde. “It’s going to be a great show. There were a lot of funny moments just in rehearsals, especially as the kids began to identify their characters with the costumes and make-up. And,” Lalonde added, laughing, “the day we put the boys into make up for the first time, is now known as David Bowie Day. It was hilarious. However, they’re getting used to the whole stage thing now.”

I had the opportunity to speak to four members of the cast about the play, and about their roles. 

Rebecca Helmer, who plays “the Girl” describes her character as a bit desperate, trying to find “the one.” “She can be sarcastic (she’s faced some bad situations), but she’s also a lot of fun to play. Does she find love? Well there is a twist at the end of the play that will let the audience know that.”

Jared Gibson, “the Guy,” is coming from a world of bad dates including one with a rabid Chicago Bears fan, another with a woman who talks only in internet abbreviations. “Everybody has had them, the bad dates, the embarrassment of bad dates. My character is getting a little desperate. He would just like to find a nice, normal, average girl next door.”

Judging from the characters played by Haley VanAllen and Nicole Hallam,  that girl next door is going to be pretty hard to find.

“My Cleo is a pyschic,” Haley explained. “The problem is she reads feet. Yup, she’s pretty insane, definitely ditzy. Her version of seeing the future is to say ‘I saw I was going to fail the math exam, and guess what? I did!’”

Does she find love?

“I think we might have to wait for the Cleo spin off,” Jared said straight-faced.

Nicole Hallam’s Mary is the kind of girl who shows up on a blind date carrying a Brides magazine under her arm.

“She has her entire wedding planned, from church and reception to the honeymoon. The only catch: no groom,” Nicole explained. “What she’s really looking for is a guy who will fit into the tuxedo. Thirty seconds into the date, she’s asking the guy if he’d like to help her pick out the wedding dress. She’s hilarious.”

“The script for Check, Please! is very funny, and very well written,” Haley said.  “Everyone can relate to these characters, and not feel so bad about their own dating experiences.”

“Everything that can go wrong, does, in this play,” added Nicole.

“Think of worst case scenarios and then think how funny they can be,” Jared said.

“It’s really a laugh out loud play,” Rebecca said. “We all still laugh even in our rehearsals.” 

The dinner theatre is being sponsored by the SDHS parents council. The funds raised, including those coming from the silent auction, will go towards new technology for the school. Tickets are $10 per person for the delicious lasagna dinner and the show, and are available in advance by calling 613-652-4878.

Come out on Friday, May 11, to share the laughter and memories of first dates.

[…]

A woman facing the trauma of cancer and the often harsh effects of chemo and radiation therapy already has a lot on her mind. Particularly devastating for many women is the loss of their eyebrows and hair, and the subsequent alteration in their appearances. 

Look Good Feel Better is devoted to helping women combat the toll cancer can take by helping them to learn how to maximize their looks as they heal. 

“If you don’t feel good, it’s harder to heal,” said Joanne Notman, who has been a volunteer with Look Good Feel Better workshops for seven years. “Women, especially cancer victims, need the morale boost of looking their best.”

The two hour work shops are designed to work with women, one on one, so they can learn tricks about how to minimize hair loss, puffiness, dry skin, and how to cope with nail issues, all of them by-products of cancer treatments. The workshops give women a chance to share and relax, to try on wigs and experiment with make up secure in a private and supportive atmosphere.

“When I attend a workshop,” Notman explained, “I find the participants are always amazed at the quality and quantity of the goods they receive for free. Each work shop has a team leader (Notman is a leader) and a group of cosmetic advisors. These advisors are all volunteers and are all in the cosmetic business.”

“There are three aspects to each workshop,” Notman explained. “Makeup and skin care, nail care and the hair portion. We also talk with women about what to expect as they undergo treatments so that the changes they face are easier to bear.”

The Look Good Feel Better movement began in the United States about 20 years ago, when an oncology nurse witnessed women, devastated by the changes in their appearances, essentially “dropped” once their medical treatments were finished. The idea of workshops to help them cope took hold.

In Canada, the program is sponsored by the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. 

Each participant in a workshop receives a complimentary kit of products donated by this group, all of them designed for traumatized skin. 

“There is even a workshop held at CHEO,” Joanne explained, “for teenage girls who are undergoing treatments.  The teenagers, we’ve found, are less concerned with the whole background program. They just want to get into the makeup,” Joanne laughed, “but then what girl doesn’t?” 

There are already workshops held in Ottawa and Kingston. And now Winchester District Memorial Hospital also holds a free workshop bi-monthly.

The free workshops at WDMH are held every other month, with the next one scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, in the afternoon. Women of any age can register, whether they are currently undergoing treatment, or will be starting therapy. The number is 613-774-2420, extension 6792.

Joanne Notman believes that the Look Good Feel Better program  is of great value to women facing the trials of cancer.  

“If we can make a woman (and her family too) feel happier and more confident, then it’s all worth it. I call Look Good Feel Better my charity of choice. I love it.”

[…]

Ontario is helping high school students eat more nutritious meals to improve their health and help them learn more effectively.

Through the province's new Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools program, high schools and school boards can apply for one-time grants of up to $50,000 to support innovative projects that encourage students to eat healthier. Projects will begin rolling out this September and can include partnerships with postsecondary institutions or non-profit organizations that promote healthy eating.

Examples of projects that could be eligible for funding include:

• A training program run by a chef school to help cafeteria staff create healthier food options.
• A healthy eating club for students.  
• A partnership with farmers to provide healthy, local Ontario foods to students.
• An updated cafeteria space that incorporates healthy eating information or an urban garden.

Improving student health and well-being is part of the Ontario government's economic plan to invest in people, one of the three pillars of the province's plan to build modern infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate. The province is investing a total of $2.2 million in the Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools Grants.

 

[…]